Two US drone strikes targeting vehicles killed seven militants on Sunday in Pakistan's rugged tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said.

Both attacks took place in Asar village of Datta Khel town, some 50km (31 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan tribal district known as a hub for Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

"The US drone fired three missiles at the militants' vehicle, killing four rebels," a senior security official in the area said of the first strike, adding that the nationalities of those killed were not immediately known.

Another senior security official in the area confirmed the strike and toll.

The second strike, also targeting a vehicle, killed three rebels in the same village.

"Four missiles fired from a US drone on another vehicle which was going to the site of the first attack for rescue work, killing three militants," a senior security official in the area said.

The two strikes came little over 24 hours after a similar drone attack in the same Datta Khel area, which killed four rebels on Saturday. The US has launched eighteen such drone attacks in just 23 days in North Waziristan.

US forces have been waging a drone war against Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked commanders in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, where militants have carved out havens in mountains outside direct government control.

Washington has branded the rugged tribal area on the Afghan border a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the most dangerous place on Earth.

The US military does not as a rule confirm drone attacks, but its armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy pilotless drones in the region.

More than 1,100 people have been killed in over 130 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of senior militants.

The missiles have mostly targeted militants linked with the Haqqani network, which is based in North Waziristan.

Officials in Washington say the strikes have killed a number of high-value targets including Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud. However, the attacks fuel anti-American sentiment in the conservative Muslim country.

Under US pressure to crack down on Islamist havens along the Afghan border, Pakistan has in the past year stepped up military operations against largely homegrown militants in the area.

Last year Pakistan launched its most ambitious military offensive yet against Taliban militants in South Waziristan, expanding the campaign to many of the other seven semi-autonomous tribal districts along the border.

Pakistani commanders have not ruled out an offensive in North Waziristan, but argue that gains in South Waziristan and the northwestern district of Swat need to be consolidated to prevent their troops from being stretched too thin.

earlier related report
US drone strike kills four militants in Pakistan: officials
Miranshah, Pakistan (AFP) Sept 25, 2010 - A missile strike by a US drone Saturday killed four militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, near the Afghan border, officials said.

The missile strike hit in Datta Khel village area near Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district, officials said.

"A US drone fired three missiles. The target was a vehicle carrying militants. Four militants were killed," a senior security official in Peshawar told AFP.

An intelligence official in Miranshah also confirmed the attack and toll.

Sixteen US drone attacks have been carried in just 22 days in North Waziristan.

The US missile strikes have killed about 100 militants since September 3 in the rugged tribal belt, which Washington has branded a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the most dangerous spot on Earth.

Elsewhere in Pakistan Saturday, gunmen stormed a mosque and fired at worshippers, killing two and wounding seven others, police said.

The ambush took place in Bahawalpur city, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) southwest of Lahore.

"Three men armed with pistols entered Al-Qamar mosque and fired at worshippers and as a result of firing two men died while seven others were wounded," Bahawalpur district police chief Babar Bakht told AFP.

"Two of the wounded were in critical condition," he said, adding that the motive behind the attack was not immediately clear and that no one had claimed responsibility.

The region has a history of internecine attacks by extremists from rival Sunni and and Shiite sects.

Religious violence in Pakistan, mostly between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shiites, has killed more than 4,000 people in the past decade.

In addition, over 1,100 people have been killed in more than 130 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of senior militants.

Al-Qaeda announced in June that its number three leader and Osama bin Laden's one-time treasurer, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, had been killed in what security officials said appeared to be a drone strike in North Waziristan.

The missiles have mostly targeted militants linked with the Haqqani network, which is based in North Waziristan.

Officials in Washington say the drone strikes have killed a number of high-value targets including Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud and help protect foreign troops in Afghanistan from attacks plotted across the border.

However, the attacks also fuel anti-American sentiment in the conservative Muslim country.

Under US pressure to crack down on Islamist havens along the Afghan border, Pakistan has in the past year stepped up military operations against largely homegrown militants in the area.

The US military does not as a rule confirm drone attacks but its armed forces and the US Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the pilotless aircraft in the region.